Half empty

[scootnwinn]

For what it's worth...

I was riding in this morning and as often happens I had a couple interesting very nearly dangerous situations. Lots of people I know who drive cars often tell me about how unsafe riders are how they passed them so close and blah blah. I don't believe the perceived danger is the same as the actual danger or that it fits the perception from the cockpit of any bike, here is why and hopefully this helps some of the newer riders think about things and plan...

When cars approach the road I'm on to turn onto it or when they are turning left I begin looking for an escape route. This morning this happened numerous times and at some point I looked ahead for "what if" options. There was a car approaching from the right a turning lane/middle lane (with out islands) 2 lanes in each direction and 2 cars in front of me and a car waiting to turn left about 25 yards down the road from the car turning right. Sounds like a lot of potentially dangerous obstacles. I know I always see it this way by now but, it donned on me despite all the "action", the road, when I looked at it for escapes, was half empty. Why do I say this? We instinctively look at the obstacles and areas where danger is expected. Riding a bike (or any vehicle really) is not a set of things that you do once you know the basics, it becomes an automatic muscle memory kind of thing and if you watch motorcycle racing you will see the part of your body that actually steers is your head. You look where you want to go or alternatively you will go where you are looking. So what I'm saying is remember and make a habit of looking at the part of the road that is empty and obstacle free. Certainly be aware of the cars and other obstacles but do not focus on them you may find yourself "on their lap". Normally we tend to want to look at things in a positive way "The glass is half full" and all that but when it comes to riding see the glass half empty because you don't want to be in the part of the glass that's full.

I don't know maybe all that was for me just to finish my thought this morning, maybe it will some one on morning ride someday